Elan Ripstick tour 94 w — Review

The Ripstick tour 94 w is the women's mid-waist ski in Elan's lightweight touring lineup, mirroring the men's Tour 94 with the same TubeLite Woodcore chassis tuned for lighter riders. It combines 94 mm under foot, 360° sidewall and the asymmetric Amphibio profile. Elan publishes a single-ski weight of about 1,325 g across all listed lengths, which keeps it manageable on long ascents while preserving real-ski composure on the way down.

At 94 mm waist with radii of 12.0 m (157), 13.7 m (164) and 15.6 m (171), the Ripstick tour 94 w is the most condition-flexible model in Elan's women's touring range. Tight pivots come easily in steep, narrow chutes, and the radius lengthens enough to roll into open mid-radius turns on alpine bowls. The cambered inside edge holds on traverses across firm or refrozen surfaces, while the rockered outside edge keeps initial pivots forgiving when the snow softens. It floats more readily than the Tour 88 w through transition snow and stays balanced through wind crust, while still leaving deep powder days to the wider Tour 104.

Elan's Tour 94 w uses the same TubeLite Woodcore as its men's sibling — two carbon tubes embedded in a lightweight laminated wood core, aligned with the sidecut for torsional stability without extra mass. 360° sidewall construction wraps unbraided carbon-fibre strips along the edges, a Carbon Bridge rod in the tip absorbs vibration, and a sintered high-speed base sits below. A small titanal binding reinforcement plate provides a stable mounting zone while the chassis itself stays free of a full titanal layer. Lengths are 157, 164 and 171 cm with uniform tip/waist/tail of 129 / 94 / 109 mm.

The Tour 94 w suits intermediate-to-advanced women tourers who want one ski covering most conditions across the season. Compared with the Nordica Santa ana 93 unlimited it is markedly lighter and clearly tilts toward the climb rather than fifty-fifty resort use. Against the resort-tuned Elan Ripstick 94 w the Tour version trades some downhill damping for a much friendlier weight on the skin track. Riders also considering the wider Elan Ripstick tour 104 should choose this 94 w when refrozen, firn and mixed surfaces dominate the season rather than dedicated powder hunting.

Pros

• 94 mm waist is the most condition-flexible chassis in Elan's women's touring range.
• Single-ski weight near 1,325 g balances climb-ability with descent composure.
• Amphibio profile combines easy pivoting with confident edge hold on firm snow.
• Short tightest radius (12.0 m at 157 cm) suits steep, narrow corridors.

Cons

• Uniform tip/waist/tail across lengths means smaller and taller skiers share the same waist.
• Lightweight chassis trades some damping at higher speeds in rough chop.
• 94 mm is still narrow for deep, untracked powder days.
• Touring-tuned flex is not aimed at resort-only days.

Verdict: The all-conditions middle of Elan's women's touring lineup — a 94 mm chassis that climbs well and descends with composure across firm, mixed and moderately soft snow.